


Silhouetted Against the Stars

by a_silhouette_against_the_stars



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cake, Hunk can dance, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Romelle and Allura getting married, Wedding, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_silhouette_against_the_stars/pseuds/a_silhouette_against_the_stars
Summary: The Paladins attend Allura and Romelle’s wedding, but Lance finds himself feeling down, though not for the reason one might think. Keith goes to comfort him out on the balcony, where they share a heart-to-heart.Or: Alternate Universe where Allura is still alive and marrying Romelle. Keith is in love with Lance but afraid to say it. While at Allura and Romelle’s wedding, Keith finally decides to tell Lance his feelings.
Relationships: Allura & Romelle (Voltron), Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Kudos: 91





	Silhouetted Against the Stars

The night was cool, but not unpleasantly so; bordering on the edge of sweater weather, Lance had opted to wear the soft, light fleece Allura had gifted him for his birthday, which complimented his tall figure, Keith thought. In the hazy light the moon cast down upon Lance — illuminating his smooth features in the dark — Keith couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to cup the other’s face in his hands, press a gentle kiss to his cheek, trail his fingers lazily along his sculpted jawline... Lance was right ahead of him — real and beautiful. Keith could say something, finally confess his emotions, tell the other what he really felt. Instead, Keith wedged his hands back into the pockets of his pants, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“It’s sorta rude to disappear when the newly-weds are cutting cake, you know,” Keith said softly, so as not to spook Lance. Slowly, Keith meandered over to where Lance was, leaning against the railing of the balcony. “We were all wondering where you scampered off too.”

Keith didn’t miss the pang of sadness in Lance’s gaze as he stared out at the glimmering city of Altea: awash in brilliant, bright colors for the celebration of it’s princess getting married. It took Lance a minute or so to reply: his voice low and gruff, lacking all that cheery enthusiasm that the Blue Paladin had become known for.

“Did Shiro send you to find me?” 

Keith hesitated before answering, initially intent on telling Lance the truth — that no, Keith had gone off willingly by himself to find Lance, without prompted by Shiro — before leaning into the white lie. “Yeah. He... he wanted to make sure you were okay.”

To Keith’s great shock, Lance let out a laugh, though not a happy one; this laugh was bitter and steeped in sorrow, concealing repressed emotions beneath it.

“Well, you can tell good, old Shiro that I’m just peachy. Never been better, actually,” Lance snorted sarcastically. “Feel free to go back to the wedding now, Mullet. Don’t want to concern the team even more with you running off as well.”

But Keith wasn’t going anywhere. His violet-tinted eyes — full of visible concern — directed their attention to Lance: to the beautiful angel in front of him who was struggling to hold back tears, and who felt his armor become cracked under Keith’s intense gaze. Lance shifted ever so slightly, swallowing an awkward lump in his throat.

“I’m not going back until you tell me what’s wrong.” Keith said finally, in a tone that left no room for negotiations. Lance mentally groaned, and ran a hand through his tousled hair. A breeze swept by, ruffling his appearance even more, but Lance couldn’t be bothered to care. He knew he looked truly pitiful; why else would Mullet to attempt to comfort him?

“Seriously, Keith, I’m fine,” Lance sighed. He tried to force as much conviction as he could into his words, but still, the ending came out choked and seemingly forced. “Just... don’t worry about me.”

Keith rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help it; Lance was always so overdramatic about things. Keith sidled closer to the other boy, laying a comforting hand tenderly on Lance’s arm.

“I know we haven’t always gotten along,” Keith said solemnly. “But I want you to know that I do see you as more than just a fellow Paladin of Voltron; you’re a friend, Lance. And I want to be there for you.”

Lance blinked twice, staring in shock at Keith, who appeared whole-heartedly genuine. Oh, Lord, was he struggling to contain the tears now. He quickly looked away from Keith’s face: back out at Altea, which was gorgeous as ever. Keith’s hand shifted from Lance’s arm back to the balcony railing, which Lance felt an odd twang of sadness at.

“I guess... I guess I’m just feeling a bit down,” Lance said, after a few ticks. “I left the wedding because I didn’t want to bring down the mood there, you know?”

Keith nodded — trying to understand what Lance was saying — rather than focusing on that brief, intimate moment of physical connection he had just ended. Though Keith would never admit it, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest; Lance had been Keith’s crush since the early days of their time as Paladins of Voltron. Keith’s attitude towards Lance was, often enough, a guise to hide his true feelings. 

Realizing Lance was still expecting a response, Keith cleared his throat awkwardly, pulling himself away from his thoughts.

“Do... do you think... do you think the sadness you’re feeling has anything to do with Allura? You two dated for a bit, I mean. And seeing her get married now might be... weird for you, if you still have feelings for her.” Keith said, trying to ignore the feeling of blatant jealousy that was building up inside him. During the time Allura and Lance dated, Keith became increasingly aware of the fact that Lance may never reciprocate his feelings. This proved to be a tough pill to swallow, but Keith, in the end, realized that he liked Lance so much that as long as Lance was happy, Keith was okay. If Lance was happy with Allura, that... that had to be fine with Keith too. For both their sakes.

To his immense relief though, Lance shook his head. “No; Allura and I dated each other a long time ago now. And it was a mutual break up; we realized we didn’t really care for each other romantically, and are better as friends. My feelings towards her have always been purely platonic; at the time I dated her, I just didn’t realize it.” Lance took a deep, shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he exhaled. “I’m happy for Romelle and Allura that they found each other; I truly am. They’re an amazing couple, and they work well together. I think... I think the thing is though, that I want someone that looks at me the way Allura and Romelle look at each other. I want to be in love, and to this day, I’m not sure if I ever have been in a relationship where I’ve truly loved the other person. And all the times I flirt with people... it doesn’t really go anywhere, you know?”

Keith couldn’t look at Lance. His whole being seemed to be full of sorrow; here was Lance — this beautiful man, looking for someone who cared for him, looking for love — and here was Keith, hopelessly pining like a lovesick fool. For the first time in ages, Keith felt his eyes well with the burden of tears.

“Yeah,” Keith spoke softly, looking out off the balcony at nothing in particular. “I know. It’s actually kinda funny; I’m the opposite. I’ve been in love with this same guy for years now, though I’ve never been in a relationship.” And I don’t think he’ll ever love me back, Keith added silently.

Lance turned to look at Keith, gorgeous eyes a mixture of concern and shock. “Quiznak, that must suck! Why didn’t you ever tell him your feelings?”

This time, it was Keith’s turn to laugh bitterly at the irony of the situation. “Sure, and be downright rejected? No thank you.”

“No, Keith; I’m serious.” Lance said, inching closer to the other. “Anyone would be crazy to not want to be with you, okay?” As Lance spoke, he felt a pinprick of sorrow deep within his heart, which he tried to ignore. 

Keith still couldn’t meet Lance’s gaze. It became harder to speak; Keith’s voice became wobbly and hoarse. 

“You think so?” Keith asked, voice still warped. If Lance noticed anything different about his speech, he didn’t comment.

“Hell yeah, dude!” Lance nodded reassuringly. “Sure, your mullets a bit... well, out of style, but you’re a good guy! Pretty attractive, too.” When he realized he had called Keith attractive, Lance’s face heated up. He quickly looked away from Keith, praying the other didn’t notice.

“So this is where you both ran off to,” a voice laughed from behind them, making both Keith and Lance jump. “Relax, lovebirds; I come in peace.” 

Lance and Keith both quickly turned around: shocked to see Allura standing on the balcony only a few feet away from them, decked out in a long, flowing, wedding dress made of colorful silks and paired with glittering heels. Her hair was piled tastefully up on her head, with a silver tiara holding the bottom part in place. Keith didn’t think he’d ever seen the princess happier in his whole life; a huge, genuine smile was spread across her face, and she seemed to be almost glowing.

“Allura! What- what’re you doing here?” Lance asked, perplexed. “It’s your wedding! Why’re you back here?”

Allura rolled her eyes. “I was searching for my friends, dummy. Two of them decided to make a mysterious exit about halfway into cake.”

Keith allowed himself a small smirk. “Sorry to vanish so mysteriously, Allura.” 

“You should be!” Allura laughed, smoothing out some of the folds in her dress. “My wife is also looking for you two. Quiznak, what’re you two even doing out here?”

Lance and Keith shared an awkward glance. Finally, Lance piped up in reply to Allura’s question.

“Just getting a breath of fresh air,” he said smoothly. “Saving ourselves for the afterparty tonight.” Keith nodded in agreement, though he wasn’t really one for parties.

Allura narrowed her eyes at the two, looking almost like she didn’t believe them. It was clear she had something more to say, but just then Romelle yelled something from back inside, and Allura quickly turned to head back.

“Well, I’ll catch up with you two later. Try not to spend too much time preparing for the afterparty that you miss the current party; Hunk is currently crushing it on the dance floor!”

Keith nodded, and gave Allura a weak smile. And, just like that, the princess was gone, leaving Lance and him alone again.

Before things turned awkward, Keith turned to Lance. “What do you say? Should we head back in?”

Lance shrugged, personality completely different now that Allura was gone. “You can, if you want. I don’t think I can just yet.”

Keith bit his bottom lip. He contemplated leaving, but in the end, he only leaned against the balcony once more, shivering as another gust of wind ran through his hair. Lance and him lapsed into a comfortable silence: strangely relaxed in one another’s company. 

There were so many words Keith wanted to say to the other, so many words he wish he had the courage to say. So many words that, if he didn’t say now, he knew he would hold them inside for another few years. 

“Lance,” Keith said. “I have... I have something I need to tell you.”

Lance turned to Keith: eyes reflecting the glow of the city beneath them. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Keith took a deep breath. He could do this. He had done much harder things before; hell, he had fought and defeated full Galra ships before. Sure, that was with the protection of a giant, mechanical cat, but in that moment this thought provided the motivation he needed to continue forward. 

“You know that person I like? The one- the one I never confessed to?” Keith felt breathless. All of a sudden, he was too hot, and Lance was too close, and was this even the right time? No; Keith took a deep breath and closed his eyes, grounding himself. Focusing. “That person- that person is-“

All of a sudden, Lance had moved closer to Keith, and cupped the other’s face in his palm. Keith opened his eyes in shock: wondering if this was real. If this was real, what was Lance doing? 

“You don’t need to finish. I know.” Lance murmured, voice low in Keith’s ear. “You should’ve told me earlier.”

Keith swallowed thickly in his throat. “It- you were never interested in me. You were dating Allura, and even if you only like her as a friend it wasn’t the time.”

Lance stared at Keith, gaze almost incredulous. “It wasn’t like you were throwing me any signals, Mullet. Quiznak, I thought you hated me up until tonight.”

Keith shook his head quickly, which was hard, considering Lance still had his face held between his two palms. “No,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve never hated you. I could never hate you. Not in a billion light years.” 

Lance didn’t reply, only stared even more intensely at Keith. His gaze slid down Keith’s face in a suggestive manner, lingering over the other’s lips: asking so much in a single glance. Keith subconsciously returned the look, it seemed; he leaned closer into Lance’s touch until both boy’s mouths were mere inches apart: lips cracked ever so slightly as tiny puffs of air escaped into the cool, night sky.

“Do you want this?” Lance whispered, voice faint, even though Keith was so close to him. 

“More than anything,” Keith replied hazily, wondering just how many fantasies this interaction had already fulfilled. Wondering if he wasn’t living in one of those fantasies right now.

Without warning, Lance moved his hands to cradle the small of the other’s back and press his lips against Keith’s. When the two boy’s mouths collided, Lance could’ve sworn fireworks went off; it was magical, and electric, and dizzying, all at the same time. It was everything Lance had ever desired, and everything Keith had ever craved. After a few moments of lips pressing against each other, the kiss deepened; Keith’s tongue — with a mind of it’s own, it seemed — begged for permission to enter Lance’s mouth, which Lance quickly obliged by. Soon enough, both boy’s tongues were exploring the other’s mouths: finding out more about this part of their relationship, this formerly locked activity that had since been opened for the two of them to try at their own leisure. Lance brought his tongue closer to Keith’s, and then they were swirling around together, which resulted in Keith groaning in sheer pleasure.

This continued until both boy’s were winded: panting to the same beat as they desperately clung to one another, Lance slumped against Keith’s chest as Keith wrapped a protective arm around the other boy. 

“You should’ve told me earlier,” Lance said again, catching his breath. 

Keith shook his head. He looked down at Lance: at the angel slumped against him. 

“Well, here it is, then.” Keith slowly moved his hands to hold Lance’s: fingers intertwining in the moonlight. “I, Keith Kogane, have been hopelessly in love with you, Lance McClain, for years now. I adore everything about you: your witty retorts, your flirtatious personality, your eyes, your hair. You’re gorgeous, inside and out, Lance. And I want to ask if you’d date me?”

Lance smirked. “Of course I’ll date you, Mullet-brain.” As Lance leaned in towards Keith to give him a kiss on the cheek, he realized something; maybe the reason his relationship with Allura didn’t work out is because Allura isn’t Keith, and his heart hasn’t felt fulfilled around anyone other than Mullet. “Who thought me being sad on the balcony would end up with me having a boyfriend, am I right?” 

Keith smiled in return: a full, rare smile. He couldn’t help it; after years of pining and sadness, of hiding his feelings, of yearning for something more, finally, he had an answer. And a good one, at that. “Well, I didn’t expect said boyfriend to be me, at least.”

Lance grinned back cheekily in reply. The two lapsed once more into comfortable silence as Keith rubbed soothing circles on Lance’s hand with his thumb. The light from the watching cosmos fell upon the two, silhouetting them against the stars.

“Right,” Keith finally said. “Think we should go back in now? Allura’s probably waiting.”

“Hm, I don’t know.” Lance pondered, a look of contemplation on his face. “I’m more looking forward to the afterparty, if you get what I mean.” At that, Lance winked at Keith, who blushed madly in return.

“Lance!!”

“What? Don’t act like you don’t like it.”

“...Remind me why I’m dating you again?”


End file.
